
SOUTHERN MILITARY PRISONS 



AND ESCAPES 



—BY— 



WARREN HEWITT MEAD. 



* ^sj 









fS© 



SOUTHERN MILITARY PRISONS 

AND ESCAPEvS. 



ISY LIETT. WAISREN HEWITT iFEAD, SIXTH KENTUCKY CAVALRY, 



[Prepared and read by reciuest before the Minnesota Loyal 
Legion, at Minneapolis, Nov. 11, 1890.] 

General Sheniian expressed an evident truth when ho 
Av rote to the mayor of Atlanta: "War is cruelty, and you 
cannot retine it;'" and nowhere in Ihe o-reat civil war was it 
more forci))ly ilhistrated than in the experiences of the Fed- 
eral prisoners of war in the South. Much has hcen written 
C(mcernino; their treatment at the hands of the C(mfederates, 
and unveritied accounts of many thinos have sometimes l)een 
given to the public by i)ers()ns who obtained their informa- 
tion seconddiand. This personal narrative relates to nearly 
two years of prison life in Libl)y Prison, Richmond, and 
Danville, Va. ; Macon, Ga. ; Charlest(m and Columbia, S. C, 
and two escapes; and it pertains chiefly to att'airs within the 
writer's own knowledge, and to incidents of his personal 
experience. 

The ])attle of Chickamauga was fought principally on the 
19th and 2(>th days of Septemljcr, 1S63, and one of the 
results was the capture by the Confederates of over 0,000 



Union prisoners, tfpon the flanUs of the Union army, and 
to protect its retreat, there was (-onsiderabh^ cavahy tiirlitino- 
on Monday, the 21st. On that (hiy, at the extreme Federal 
ri<,dit, the Third lirio-ade of Col. E. M. McCook's tirst division 
of cavalry (of MitchelPs corps), composed of the 4th, iMh, 
and (ith Kentucky cavah-y reo;iments, under the command of 
CoL Louis I). Watkins, of the Oth, to which reoiment I he- 
longed, was eni2:a<>ed in coverin<>' the retreat of th(^ Union 
forces and guarding- wagons from \hv hattU'tield to Chatta- 
nooga, when we were assailed in front and on the iiank by 
Wheekn-'s division of R(^bel cavalry. My innnediate com- 
mand, composted of two companies of my regiment, received 
the brunt of the attat^k in front, and kept the enemy at bay 
until the remainder of the ])riga(k' extricated itself and 
escaped. At al)out -t oVlock in the afternoon, near Pond 
Springs, (la., our small force of less than one hundred men 
was surrounded by Terry's Texas Cavalry Kang(»rs, and my- 
self and tin; adjutant of my regiment, TJeut. Hugh B. Kelly, 
with sixty-tAvo men, were taken ])risoners. 

After having been guarded at the place of capture until 
dark, the encnny compelled us to make a toilsome march that 
night to the railroad near Ringgold, a distance of about ten 
miles. We were here placed upon cars and carried southward 
with other prisoners to Kingston, arriving there the follow- 
ing afternoon, when we were locked in the court house. 
Here, thirty hours after our capture, we received the tirst 
food, a small cake of corn bread being given to each prisoner. 
On the 28d we were removed to Atlanta, and remained there 
three days in an open tield east of the city, without shelter 
or blankets. From Atlanta we were taken, with nnmy others 
captured at Chickamauga, by the way of Augusta, (la., and 
Columbia, S. C, to Charlotte, N. C. The cars used for 
transporting the prisoners were ordinary freight cars, the 









s 



cloor oil one side closed and fastened; a sentinel was placed 
at each side of the open door on the opposite side, and sev- 
eral guards were upon the top of each car. We stopped at 
Augusta long enough to purchase a little fruit and bread 
from the slaves, who crowded around us, and to afford an 
opportunity for certain elderly slave-holders to express their 
opinion of us and Northern people generally in not the most 
flattering terms. At Charlotte we Avere marched from the 
cars to a tield near the city, and remained there all night, 
sleeping without blankets between the rows of standing corn 
grown on a part of the field. The prisoners gathered a few 
ripe ears, which were toasted at the fires and eaten with the 
eagerness of half -famished men. 

The next night we were ordered to form in line in order 
to be marched to the station for removal to Richmond. 
Several had planned to escape. Holes had been dug in tlie 
sandy earth, large enough to admit the body of a man below 
the surrounding surface; but, unfortunately, as the guards, 
like a line of skirmishers, were marching over the occupied 
grounds, one of them fell into one of these excavations upon 
a live Yankee ! A careful examination with lights was then 
ordered, disclosing other holes similarly filled, and one of 
our number Avas found in the top of a tree. After sharp 
admonitions we were again placed in freight cars and taken 
to Richmond, one change having been made in going more 
than 1000 miles. We were crowded together in the cars, 
like sheep, without room to sit down and with no water or 
suitable accessories. 

Reaching Richmond a little past midnight, September 
80th, the ofiicers and enlisted men were separated, the for- 
mer, in ominous darkness, being marched to that famous 
bastile, Lil)by Prison, soon to realize that — 

" War's least horror is the ensanguined field." 



Libby Prison — since rciuoxcd to the city of (liicao^o, 
uiiero it now stands ])r('S('rN'('(l as a war relic — was jni old 
brick l)uil(lin<i". I-'-J t\'<'< loiiu" and !<•<» feet wide, containinc; 
nine rooms, besides the basement, three stories in front and 
four in the rear, and the sobd stone ])artilions between the 
rooms were ))iereed with doorways in each story. It was 
situated on the Lynehburii' canal. o\'erh)okinii' the .bimt^s 
li^•er, front ini; on Casey street, and was oujirded (hiy and 
niofht by alxmt t wenty-ti\(> sentinels at a])j)ointed stations 
around tlie buildinu'. 

On that dark moriiino- about forty ofticers were conducte(l 
into the ofHee of Major ThomasP. Turner, the connnandant 
of the [)ris()n. who evidently had been seleete(l for that })()si- 
tion on account of his bittei' hostility to the Northern peopl(\ 
One by one we were called and directed to oiv(> up om' 
money — Turner stating- that if we did so willino-|y. it woidd 
be returned to us when we were e.\chan<2:e(l. I)ut that if lu; 
was comjx'lled to search us the money found would be con- 
fiscated. Most of the ])risoners obeyed, and se\'eral thousand 
dollars Avere there aiven u]); a few se(n"eted their pocket- 
books and claimed they were penniless and tlierel)y escaped 
such robbery. Turner took from me $7'2 in brii^ht. crisp 
greenbacks, which I ne\'er saw afterwards, and I never heard 
that any money so taken from prisoners was ever returned. 
We were turned over to the prison clerk, who. with a 
lighted candle, conducted us by a narrow stairway to the 
room above; and. as soon as we entered, he locked the door 
and left us in the dai'k to tind out for ourselves what the new 
(juarters atibrded. Hardly liad we entered the room, the 
floor of which was covered with j)i-isoners, befoi-c the cry 
Avas heard, ''Fresh tish I " which was re})eated many timers 
m that and adjoining rooms. In a moment Ave Avere sur- 
rounded by prisoners, who rushed uj^on us first one way and 



then another, crying out, "'Give them air!" ''Dip them 
in water ! " and like beAviklering expressions. I began to 
think we were in a den of robl)ers. Afterwards I well 
understood that all ''fresh tish," as new prisoners were 
termed, had to pass through a like initiation. AVe had no 
blankets or overcoats and nothing save the eh)thes in which 
Ave were captured. 

A daylight examination of the interior of this prison 
reveak^d that six rooms of the two u})perniost stories were 
allotted t(» about liJOO Federal officers, of every rank, besides 
one room in the tirst story, which was su[)})lie(l with water 
and used during the day as a cook-room; these gave to each 
man a space nine by three feet to eat, wash, sleep and take 
exercise. Xo benches, stools, eJiairs or ta))les were fur- 
nished. The prisoners, aftei' a few months, made a- number 
of sucii articles fi'om tiie boxes sent by Northern friends. 
Most of tile officers captured at Cliickamauga remained in 
the h)wcr middh' room. 

Prisoners were not adowed to go \vithin live feet of the 
windows, of which there wqiv three at each end of the 
rooms, secured with iron bars. The guards were instructed 
to fire upon any })risoner seen at these windows. One officer 
was severely wounded, the gu;ird having seen him throuah ;i 
boarded enclosure at the side of the prison where formerly 
there had l)een an outside door. Tlu' hat of another, one 
day, was visi):)le from the outside, and he, being notified, 
moved baek just in time for a ball to })ass and bury itself in 
the beam above. Capt. Forsyth, of Toledo, Ohio, was shot 
and instantly killed near me by one of the guards not on 
duty, and he was not at the time within eight feet of the 
window. Across the street, in a northeasterly direction, were 
situated the Pemberton buildings, wherein were confined 



several thousand of onr enlisted men, and shots tired into the 
Avindows of that ))uil(lin*2: were often lieard. 

In December, the officers captured at Chickamaui>a 
obtained a blanket apiece from a supply sent by the U. S. 
Sanitary Connnission, Avhich were distributed by the Con- 
federates. During the winter months it was bitter cold, as 
there were no fires save those in the cook stoves used in the 
room beloAV durina' the day. There were no lights except 
the candles jmrchased by the prisoners for their own use, 
and these had to be extinguished at It i'. m. Each had his 
own particular })lace to eat antl sleep, and all slept on the 
flooi- dove-tailed together, like tish in a basket, overcrowded 
and with imperfect ventilation. 

Libby Prison had been used as a military priscm from the 
commencement of the war. Little attention had been given 
to its cleanliness and purilication, and it had become infested, 
from top to l)ottom, with Acrmin, of the kind Avell known 
to soldiers. These parasites were on the walls and floors, 
and upon eveiything, reminding us of the third plague of 
Egypt. No possil)le mode of living, no amount of personal 
attention, could ]^revent their presence and poisonous bites. 
Every seam in our ch)thes needed daily inspection, and the 
clothing required boiling in water at least three times a 
week to prevent the greatest multiplication. 

In January, 1804, a plan of escape was conceived, and for 
this purpose a secret company was organized. But few were 
admitted to the secret, for there were informers among us, 
willing to secure favor, l)y betraying any plan of escape. In 
the cook room already mentioned there was a large chinmey 
running from the basement to the top of the building. In 
this room a hole Avas broken through the chinmey near the 
floor, large enough to admit the body of a man. Crawling 



through that aperture, feet foremost, and dropping down ten 
feet Avon Id bring a person into the dark and empty basement 
under the adjoining room. The side opposite the chimney 
was the founchition of the east side of the prison, from which 
foun(hiti()n a hirge stone was removed about six feet below 
the surface of the outside ground and a tunnel commenced. 
Two men would work day and night. The only implements 
used were the half of a tin canteen and an old trowel picked 
up from the tools of a workman making repairs in the 
})ris()n. One, l>y the use of these implements, would loosen 
the earth in the tunnel and put it in a l)lanket, which the 
other, at night time, would convey out of the tunnel into the 
corner of the dark room, at the side of which the tunnel com- 
menced. Ca})t. 1. N. Johnson, of the 6th Kentucky Infantry, 
who is justly entitled to the chief credit for this wonderful 
and daring enterprise, labored in this tunnel nun'c than two 
weeks and remained in it all tlay. His absence led the prison 
authorities to l)elieve that one prisoner had escaped. Food 
was taken to him at night by another officer, who then 
assisted in the work. This tunnel was about sixty-five feet 
long; it was dug under the beat of the sentinels and came out 
aljout thirty feet beyond the guard in an old shed used for 
storage. 

The tunnel was completed February 9th, except breaking 
through the further end. On that night the prisoners were 
notified, and all night long they were passing out. One 
hundred and fifteen thus escaped from the prison. It was 
slow work; the passage was difficult, and two large men — 
one of whom was Col. Strcight, the noted raider — stuck in 
the tunnel, which delayed considerably the exodus. The 
prisoner, before he entered the tunnel, would nearly strip 
himself and tie his clothing in a compact bundle, and push it 



s 

alu'jid of liini in his passnof^ throuah. which was accomplished 
.])V sonu'thina" like the iiio\('incnt of a snake thronuh heavy 
o-rass. The Innnel was closed \\\) at (hiyliolil and the hoh' in 
the ehiiniu'v conceah'd. Al)onl one-lialf of the jjiisonei's who 
thus escaped were ca])tnre(l before lhe_\' sncceech'd in reach- 
ing onr lines, thirty miles distant. When i'ecai)tiired they 
Avere ])ut in (hmijeons imdei' the cook-room— dark cells, 
unfurnished and with around tlooi's. coverecl uiuch of the 
time with water, in \\hich the inmates had to slee]) or remain 
standina". They were scantily fed and comi)elle<l to suii'er 
incxcusa))le neah^'t. 1 often secretly (h-opi)ed ])ieces of 
bread throuali n small hole made in the floor of the cook- 
room to these sutt'erina officers. After remainina in these 
cells about ten days, lliey were ))rouaht out and took their 
former places in the })i-ison to make room for the officers 
captured on (Jen. Kili)atriek's raid, wlio were treated with 
still areater indianity and cruelty. Beina ilK I did not 
attempt to go throu.ah this tunnel, but aave my only })air of 
boots, well Avoi-n, to my messmate. Ca])!. Charles E. Greble, 
of th(^ 8th Michia-'in Cavalry, who escaped. 

In February. lS(i-f, a cavalry ex})e(lition was set on foot 
by our authorities for the avowed ])urpose of marchina upon 
Kichmond, then feebly oiiai'ded. and. as re})orted, to capture 
the eity and release the Federal i)risoners. One branch of 
this expedition was undei' (ien. Custer, another undei' Gen. 
Kil])atrick. and a third Avas under Col. Ulric Dahlai'cn. The 
expedition was not successful. Col. Dahlaren was killed 
near Ri(dunond. and most of his command eai)tured before 
effcctina ii junction witli Kili)a1rick. who, on the first day of 
March, came near the (mter line of tii(> Kichmond fortifica- 
tions, and, after a few hours of l)risk cannonadina by the 
Confederates, took up a line of mai-ch down the ])eninsula 
without serious loss. 



9 

This was the most memorable day of my prison life. 
Some of the guards who came in to drive ns all into one 
room, so as to be eoimted imt throuoh a single door— which 
Avas the prison daily roll-call— disclosed to us all they knew 
concerning KilpatrickV raid. The dull booming of artillery 
was heard at intervals during the day, which proved that 
our troops were already engaging the enemy in the fortifica- 
tions. No language can describe the hopes and feelhigs of 
the prisoners at that time. The prison officials showed 
unmistakable signs of fear. There was hurrying to and fro 
in the streets and extra guards were visible. It was then the 
Confederate authorities set to work to undermine the Libby 
Prison. Several tons of powder were placed under the thick 
walls and in the Ijasement rooms below us, with complete 
ai-rangements to tire it at a moment's notice. Such a plan 
iov wholesale and atrocious nnuder is without a parallel in 
the history of any civilized nation. Notwithstanding this 
terril)le situation w^e were undismayed, and secretly organ- 
ized ourselves into companies, with chosen leaders, so as to 
be ready for any emergency, hoping to be supplied with 
arms in case our troops entered the city and to aid in the 
rescue. Men were selected to use the movable stairs reach- 
ino- to the cook-room in battering down the doors leading to 
the street, ui)on the first appearance of the Federal uniforms. 
That night there was no sleep; the prisoners were prepared 
for action, and listened all night for the tramp of the oncom- 
ino- liberators; we moved noiselessly about like specters in a 
cave of gloom, waiting and trusting— but, alas! our deliverers 

came not. 

The inspector of the prison took pains to inform us that 
if Kilpatrick should succeed in entering Richmond it would 
not help us, as the prison would be blown up before he 
would sutler us to Ije rescued. Latouch, the a<ljutant of the 



10 

prison, said, in hearing of tlio prisoners: "There is enough 
powder under the prison to send every Yanki'e to hell."* 

'I'he most noteworthy experienee we had to unch'rgo Avas 
the want of suitable or sufficient food. To endure the indig- 
nity of those })laeed over us. to he deprived of light, and to 
snfll'er from the cold diu'ing the clu erless days and nights of 
winter, Averc enough to render existence miserable; l)ut it was 
a more terrible thing to be hungry from day to day, from 
week to week — to be always hungry. 

The "chief commissary," ai)point(!d ])y ourselves, would 
distril)ute the rations allowed to divisions com))osed of 1<><» 
prisoners; an officer selected in each division would again 
distribute the portion assigned to it to s(|uads of ten. and the 
squad would then subdivide the amount received to its 
messes, composed of one or more. The daily alloAvance. 
brought in every morning, was a small cake of corn bread, 
about the size of a man's fist, leaked from unsifted meal, four 
ounces of beef, or, in lieu thereof, a half pint of worm-eaten 
peas, a gill of rice and a very little salt. With the exception 
of the salt, none of these articles would have been salable in 
any American mai'ket. One-fourth of the time no meat Avas 
issued, and at one time, for thirty consecutive days, not an 
ounce Avas sent in. 

According to the usages of modern Avarfare, prisoners of 
Avar are entitled to the same rations that are given to soldiers; 
such our government gave to Confederate prisoners. Dr. 
Hammond, formerly Surgeon General of the Army, places 
the amount of solid food recpiired to maintain the organism 
of a healthy adult American, up to the full measure of 



*Pollard, the Southoni writer, in liis liistoi-y cntitlod "The Lost Cause," 
(p. 508), acknowledges tliat the Riclinioiul Koveriinient placed several tons of 
powder under Libby Piison at this time, but also says it was for the purpose 
of intimidating the prisoners, wliicli conchision niiiy well be doubted as to the 
limit of the iiitoutioii oi the horril)le purpose. 



11 

physical and mental capability, at about forty ounces daily, 
two-thirds vegetable and one-third animal. The French 
ration issued to soldiers in the Crimea was -121 ounces solid 
food. The P^nglish ration is about 41 ounces; our government 
ration is about the same. The ration issued to prisoners in 
Libby Prison Avas from ttn to sidetn ounces daily, and that 
of very inferior quality. Our greatest privilege was to do 
our own cooking. The rations would be (]uickly seized and 
cooked upon the three stoves in the cook-i'oom. and all eaten 
at a single meal, and still our hunger was unapi)eased and 
we would have to wait twenty-four hours before anything 
more could be had. 

The peas — or, as they were sometimes called, "'North 
Carolina beans" — were made the basis of a kind of soup. 
They were the most unpalatal^le food ever eaten l)y man; 
indeed they arc not an article of food except for cattle. 
Never before or since have I seen their like. Singularly as 
it may ap])eai', there was not one of these peas issued which 
did not contain within it a little black bug, about the size of 
a tiax-seed. Hours of search failed to find a single pea not 
thus inhabited. When l)oilcd, Ihc top of the water or 
"souj),'' would l)e covered with these bugs, thoroughly 
cooked. At first some of the more fastidious ofhcers would 
split each pea and remove the bug; but they soon learned 
that, in the absence of meat, the bugs gave body and sub- 
stance- to the SOU}), improvetl its flavor, and altogether 
rendered it more palatable, though, of course, eaten under 
the iinpulse of hunger. 

Hunger, in captivity, signifies more than when elsewhere 
felt. To us it meant feeble and emaciated bodies; impair- 
ment of health and constitution; minds so oppressed with 
the hopelessness of our situation as to force strange and 
alarming conditions. Some, overcome l)y a consuming 



12 

despair, would at times foro^et their own names, and were 
micertain as to eonmion facts. These were exceptions, and 
were evidently of those who iniierited imperfections and 
were laekine: in const hut ional viiior. We were continualh' 
talkinjT of the food formerly eniovc*!. which seemed a lono- 
time ago. AVlien we hi}' (U)wn at nii:ht. it was to (hcani of 
feasts and tables spread with the rarest and richest food 
Few niahts passed without tiiis (h'lusion. The ])ris()ner 
Avouhl waken just as he was alxait to i)artake of a sumptuous 
repast, to tind it vanish in a (h'cani. It was a conunon 
tiiinof for one prisoner to ask another \\ hat luxuries he had 
for sui)per, meanino; what fare his niohliy dreams had prof- 
fered. The effect of such imprisonment upon the morals of 
the inmates can hardly he imairined. The uian who goes to 
bed huno-ry every nio-ht, for a considei'ablc length of time is 
hardly good. A starving man is seldom exem])lary. Many 
prisoners became demoralized, rank was ign()re(l. personal 
encount(n"s were of frecpient occurrence; seltishness was the 
supreme law — the natural result of such living. 

A portion of the tinu' we were allowed to receive boxes 
of provisions from fi'iends North, under flag of truce. ))y way 
of Fortress Monroe. They wei-e all examined ))y the Con- 
federates, and the clothes sometimes taken out. Often, as if 
to purposely taunt and exasperate us. the l)oxes were piled 
up and kept for days in plain sight of the i)risoners before 
they were delivered. Only a i)art of the prisoners received 
boxes, and all that were sent weri' not delivered. A Bible 
was sent by some kind friend in nearly every box, and usually 
a greenback was found thoughtfully enclosed between leaves 
pasted together. This book the Rebels seldom examined 
carefully and never ai)pr()priated, and the prisoner was glad- 
dened by the welcome gift thus secured. \ received several 
boxes containino- many delicacies and sulistanti:tl provisions, 



u 

sent by kind friends, (which of course were shared with less 
fortunate comrades,) and during- the last few months in this 
prison, the want of food was not my greatest deprivation. 

Every man developed a hobby. With some it was "how 
to escape;" with others it was "fancy cooking," and the 
hitter were never so well satisfied as when they could catch a 
mouse and prepare therefrom a cup of delicious soup. With 
some it was to car\'c articles from l)one and wood; with some 
it was chess or cards; others were silent and always alone. 
Major Harry A\^hit('. of Pennsylvania, tifterwards a Meml)er 
of Congress, had an irresistibk' desire to make poHtical 
speeches, hut he was not encouraged in tluit liouse. Capt. 
McGee, of Kentucky, made stump speeches while voices 
were loudly crying out, "Dry up!" '"Put him outl" but, like 
Demosthenes at the seashore, he would talk above the storm, 
(ien. Neal Dow. who was one of the special exchanges, 
lectured on tenii)erance. Lieut. Col. Warren E. McMackin, 
of the iMst Illinois, Gen. Grant's old regiment, which lost 
heavily at the battle of Chickamauga, where he was caj)- 
tured, taught a Bible class. Several arm}' chaplains cap- 
tured at Chickamauga A\'ere, for a short time, among our 
number; so that frequently we had religious services in due 
form and regularity. Prayer meetings were also held on Sun- 
day evenings. The meetings were conducted in one corner of 
the room, Avhile all kinds of prison activities were going on 
around the faithful Ijand who did not neglect their worship. 

Amid all the distress we had our amusements. For a 
short time we had a literary society. A weekly paper, called 
the "Libby Chronicle,""' filled with prison news, was read. 
With nuisical instruments purchased from without, a few 
officers organized a band of minstrels, who gave several 
entertainments in the cook-room, and the performances 
ati'orded no little amusement. The songs and plays were 



14 

Original. The pr()<^rnininos were printed, and f preserved 
one of an entertaimnent «'iven Christmas Eve. 18<'>;5. The 
foHowinoj is a fac Kumle : 



MTOIIILS! 



MAnAOEft, 

COSJUHER, 
iCENIt 4RTIS1, 
CAPTAin OF THE %\ji 


t,RS 


LT C W CHAKDIEH 
C*PT H, W SAWYER 

lV'j p >on« 

LT FENTBESS 
LT BRISTOW 



'i THtRSqAY^Eyi;Hma. DEa 24th, 1863. <j 
" "''';/,PfiOGRA-MMK:. 



OVERTIUE- -Nan.,. '.:. TKOUrB 

OPENING CUOftV?— 'KroMu- .^^ TltyOP* 

SuHG— WhC-llI fl»A for MoJlP^^,^^.■..^.. ..!xipi. SCUELL 

SUNG— Ornit.J in il.. \fi«y Licui. KENDALL 

SuMJ— \Ufn il,^l<wiB«r<«i (lif'jJj<.....:...'AOji. VoMaXRD I 

5j^;j>;_-B»ci.-jdijV»..t.i.enB • C.pl. MASS j 

SUNG— Do ih«7 H.iol. ^i m^ .. U<">>-' v s ■ -A''j' JONES 
CflOKUS— ?kmoi^ .' ^T, .- '. . . - TROUPK 



Di.njlS.io \ 



.n.lVlu*o— ^-ert.i.'tf from -Lue.*^ ^^ _ 

H-'t tfog'nr Hi' j...^,.. C«pt^^M«*. 

v..A::.:.:'.^....V:-..'.--L.eo,'n„«..» 

l>ii*i— 0/ln^ ylrli Lmt ^<)ui*j .. .V>l|t» Lombard «oJ ^>i«-« 

Uigw^V.ol.'i "" ..y.Ui.»#. M«H. OikJl*. ■...! K«Q.U1I 

jjemg— ^lJ l.ili-r- i.'u»ioui -v * • t *^"'*^,M«:'^»""';/ 

»i?lLlfl¥Ills' 



JOE ^KlMM^.l;l^'^^ 



.p< MASS 
A.NPOf.PH 



PA.«.X THII^a . 



PHOTOGRAPH GALLERY 



VaoPUIETOli 


, ,C..p. MASff 


Bfli ■- _ 


Li KANUOLPli 


C'tl'MRVMAN,... _, ,> 


M»j NhiU'^K 



illW Il.tl, ..... r "ji JUNES 

l.UUU KtKI'tlfc . •■'P' .MA>iS 

>IUSlC'l.\N .. tV> ..... ».. .*Li.\,ClfANULt:it 

ME'll;EllofTHIil'Kt.-i 1.1 RV,VN 

uoiE ^ ;..: .\ .V. .\ 1 « ♦«.1-Hn 

OU.ICK 5»aN, . .. ^ .( L. MiJHAtI 

Xao.\**AV SWIIM^.-..'. .....■»..■:.V:^,^.....).l ■ KtNNtA 

IcN.ilAllDHl, ■ • C.pl M^WaLl'VS 



r^r^ 



ADU1S510N FR££ -Cb.iilfeii liKi 



» Not Admitted 



A'ljl It C K.NAGUS. 



After dark, when the prisoners had lain down to sleep, we 
had what was called the "catechism," which consisted of 
satirical questions with personal allusions. One would ask 



15 

in a loud voice, "Who was captured up a tree?" A perti- 
nent answer would come from another dh-ection, naming the 
officer. The questions and answers were true hits, and ^vt)uld 
be kept up for hours. Every man's history, in this way, 
was punctured amusingly. A brigadier-general once at- 
tempted, when he had been made the point of a question, to 
lecture the jn'isoners on conduct becoming officers of the 
U. S. Army, and forthwith missiles were flying around his 
venerable head, which made him get under his blanket in 
great haste. Whoever assumed the least importance was sure 
to meet with an effectual re])uft'. 

Letters of six lines were allowed to be written to friends 
in the North, and letters Avere received, subject, of course, to 
Ccmfederate inspection. "Letter day" was the great day. 
In the preparation of this address valuable aid has been ob- 
tained from letters written from various prisons to home 
friends, who kindly preserved and returned them to me. One 
of these, written in Libby Prison on coarse brown paper, and 
sent unsealed, is given: 

Libby Prison, Riclimond, Va., Xov. 18th, 1868. 
itf/\ss F. Hughes, Cumillus, N. F.— Dear Friend :— Sorry two 
months in Libby Prison have failed to bring me more than a single 
letter. Am well, but sorely pressed with hunger! No meat or bread 
furnished us to-day! I do wish for an exchange. There is no pros- 
pect for any at present. If I get away from here in one year it will 
be as soon as I expect. Yours, &c., 

AV. II. Mead, U. S. A., via Fortress Monroe. 

Those who had money could purchase the Richmond daily 
papers at fifty cents a copy, and nearly anything else at the 
same proportionate price. There was little money in the 

prison. 

On several occasions religious services were held in the 
prison, but no Protestant minister in Richmond preached, 
or offered to preach, to us. The Episcopal service was 



id 

I'ead ot\cl\ der<iyineii somclinics calne into \\w prison 
and talked of politics and upbraided us on account of 
the war, dcelat'ino- that the Yankees could never con<iuer 
the "brave Southern people." Those prisoners Avill never 
forget the able and acceptable sermons of Bishop McGili, of 
Richmond, and Bishop Lynch, of Charleston. Eminent for 
piety and scholarship, their discourses Avere filled witii the 
noblest sentiments of charity and Christian counsel, and were 
beautifully appropriate to the occasion. 

Durino; the eight months we were led to hope, fi-om week 
to week, that an exchange of prisoners would take place. 
There Avere a few special exchanges. In the spring of 1S()4 
Gen. Butler, who commanded at Fortress Monroe, and had 
immediate control of the cartel, wrote over his own signatiu'c 
that Gen. Grant had given peremptory orders not to ex- 
change another al)le-bodied Confederate. Then we no h)nger 
hoped, and the future seemed dark and perilous. We thought 
our government had failed in its duty; and when, on the 7th 
of May, 1864, at 11 o'clock at night, we were ordered to 
prepare to go further south to other ])risons, despair settled 
like a pall over us, and we fearcMl that a Southern prison 
would be like that cave in mythology having no outward 
tracks. 

That night we bade farewell to Libby Prison. Daylight 
found us in line upon a street in Richmond, weak and hardly 
able to walk. After marching across the eJames river Ave were 
taken in freight cars to Danville, Va., 14S miles south Avest from 
Richmond. On arriving at DauAnlle the succeeding morn- 
ing, Ave Avere confined in a tobacco warehouse on the south 
))ank of the Dan river. I'he usual rations, of poor quality 
but increased in quantity, Avere issued. Many of our num- 
ber became ill on account of the heat and change of Avater. 
Remaining here but a fcAV days, Ave Avere, on May l:^th, com- 



17 

iiuiiided to get ready for transportion to Macon, Ga., by the 
May of Green sborouorh and Aiig-usta. 

Vi,v arrived at Macon May ITtli, and were placed in a 
stockade on the eastern side of the city, calle<l Camp Ogle- 
thorpe, an old fair ground, in which there was a spring and a 
small stream of water. This stockade consisted of about 
three acres of land enclosed by a high plank fence, near the 
top of which was constructed the sentinels'' walk, where they 
paced thv'w Ijcats ten feet apart day and night. On the 
inside of the stockade, and around the same, thirty feet from 
the fence, was the "dead line," across which no prisoner 
couKl pass. Low board sheds had been constructed with 
open sides, under which the ]n-isoners lodged. Rations were 
issued to squads and the subdivisions were made by the 
prisoners themselves. Bacon, corn meal, and occasionally 
sorghum and rice — all of the poorest ([uality, however, and 
less than t\\'enty ounces a day to each man — Avere given us; 
these were cooked, with the little wood furnished, on })ieces 
of iron which had l»een picked u^) and in a single skillet 
allowed to a mess. 

Several unsuccessful attempts were made at tunneling 
from Camp Oglethorpe. Lieut. (). Gierson, of the 4r)th 
N. y. Infantry, on June 11th, was killed l)y the guard Avhile at 
the spring, and without cause. The Fourth of July \\'as 
celebrated in songs and s})eeches, against the orders of the 
authorities. Many otficers from Gen. Grant's army captured 
in Virginia, were brought in during the summer, and with 
their good clothes and healthful appearance, they presented 
a marked contrast to the older prisoners. A portion of our 
time was spent in reading the books obtained before leaving 
Richmond, and a few engaged in the study of languages, or 
of some chosen profession; the time was employed princi- 
pall}' in cooking, washing and repairing tattered garments. 



18 

Much sk'kiicsts prevailed aiul several otHeers died. Many 
of the oUler prisoners sutt'ered from scurvy, owinc( to the 
hick of j)roper food; an in(U'nture with the tinoer in the 
Hesjiy parts of the hody wouhl remain for hours, and in the 
worst cases the teeth di'()))pe(l out. Xeai' the middle of the 
camp, there was an old buildino-, which liad been used for 
fairs before the war, where the sick mostly had their quarters 
on the tloor. When death came to their rehef, their bodies 
would )»e sadly borne to the gate by mournino- comrades and 
given over to the foe for burial in stranire groimd, unblest 
by the tears of far-away kindre(L 

On July 27th, it was announced that we were to be taken 
from Macon to Charleston, 8. C. Six hundred prisoners' 
names were called, including my own; the others were sub- 
se(iuently moved. AA'e })acked our blankets and what other 
articles w'e possessed, and upon freight cars, as formerly, 
were transported to the historic rebel city. On(! of the 
noticeai)le things in passing the several towns 'H route was 
the expression of the slaves, who, in most instances, could 
say or do nothing, but evidently had apprehended the issues 
of tlu^ great struggle and would have helped us if they could. 

We reached Charleston the next day and were inunedi- 
ately marched to the jail — the worst prison I saw in the 
South. It was infested and foul. Situated upon an acn^ of 
land, surrounded by a high wall, it had ])een used for a long 
time foi' I (lack and white criminals, deserters, and Union 
colored prisoners. The three u[)permost stories were then 
filled with such persons, and only a portion of the ground 
floor was allotted to Federal officers brought from Macon, 
and there I had my (j'.iarters. To sleep within il was hazard- 
ous, and nearly all slej)t in the sandy yard, where the cooking 
was done. The weather was hot and manv were ill; one 



1<) 

emaciated prisoner, b}- holding- hi.s arm up to the sun, could 
see the light between the bones of the forearm. 

Many protests were made to the authorities, and in about 
ten days notice was given that if the i)i'isoners would give 
their paroles not to escape they could occupy Roper Hos- 
pital, a large building erected for a city hospital, adjoining the 
jail, and in front of which was the burnt district containing 
nothing but tire-blackened walls and naked chimneys. About 
three hundred of us gave our paroles and were transferred, 
being all that were confined in the jail yard. The prisoners 
were permitted to receive letters from home, to take exer- 
cise in the grounds surrounding the building, and to cook out 
in the fresh air, but were still under guard. This was th« 
most comfortable prison I was in. 

It was here where the prisoners were under fire of the 
Union guns of Morris Island, four miles distant. Gen. 
Gilmore was bombarding the city, and a large portion of 
the loAver part had been destroyed and was uninhabited. It 
has been stated that these Federal officers were imprisoned 
at Charleston to i)revent the further bombardment of the 
city and that was our belief at the time. The shots were 
usually fired at intervals of a half h(mr, but sometimes they 
came ever}^ ten minutes, and continued day and night with 
only occasional cessations. The shells generally burst in the 
air to the left of f)ur quarters, and a solid shot was often sent 
far beyond us. One piece of a shell went thrcjugh the roof 
of the building and first ceiling, and was stopped by a wooden 
bench in the upper story upon which an officer was seated. 
Another piece of over twenty pounds' weight struck and 
cut through the plate beam of a small building in the 
rear, formerly used for insane patients, and then fell in the 
room and struck a pan in which an officer was preparing his 



20 

corn nioal for l);ikini>'. A few pieces of sliell fell in ilie yard, 
hut no one was injured. The li'unners knew our hK-ation and 
avoided the huildini:- as much as possihle. 

At Hi'st. when ihc sharp, slu'ill shriek of the shot or sliell 
was heard. W(> \\()uld insl inclivcly seek shelter; hut we soon 
hecanic accustomed to the danacr, and it was a sublime 
pleasure to watch the smoke of the diseliarged nun and 
listen to the peculiar noise of the shell in its passan'c through 
the air. At nioht the siaht was thrillinu-; the tlash of the 
oun could he seen, followed hy the liii'hte<l fuse movina' like a 
nu'teoi'. in its cii-eular track from the .yun, until the shell 
ex[)loded and its j/ieces went crashino; through the buildings 
of the city. A larae buildini^ called the workhouse adjoining 
the jail, also contained many jirisoners. 

In Sept(Mnber. yellow fe\cr ma<le its a})})earancc in the 
prison. Many of the guards ai:d a few of the })risoners 
died. The older j)risoners escaped this dreaded disease, or 
had it only in a mild form; their exemption being imputed 
to their reduced condition and long freedom from excesses. 

I had this fever and with others was taken to a hospital 
in a suburb \\\) the Cooper river, where I was contincd for 
nearh' a month. Dr. Todd, a brother of the wife of Presi- 
dent Lincoln, was one of the Confederate surgeons in chai-ge 
and atten(le(l me. A Sister of Mercy, who had be<'n highly 
educated in Ireland, and avIio came to this country after the 
commencement of the war expressly to care for the sufl'ering, 
brought in grapes and delicacies, and often visited the sicd< 
and brought books for the convalescent to read. Upon 
recovery, still under parole. I was conveyed back to prison 
with two other otficers. in an and)ulancc drawn by nudes in 
charge of a negro driver. \\ v directed him to dri\e down 
King street, the principal thoroughfai'c of the city, until 



21 

ordered to stop. For many blocks Ieadin<i- towards Roi)er 
Hospital, along this street, there was not a person oi' any 
living creature to l)e seen. Truly the city ^'sat solitary." 
The grass was growing in the streets, and the elegant 
Imildings. as far as the eye could sec, had been shattered 
by our cannonading. Save the startling soinids from our 
destriK'tive missiles, which seemed to dro}) from the sky. a 
death-like stillness pervaded the i)laee. While we were 
passing down the street a cannon hall struck a dwelling 
house to the left, and the a{)i)rehensive negro drove on. 
Soon another ball came crashing throuiih the roof of a 
building a short distance ahead. The driver stopped, and 
with fear depicted in his very looks, said, ••rsnot 'fraid. 
but the Yankees will kill dem mules, suahl'^and he refused 
to go further. ^Xv (juite agreed with liim. and he turned off 
and by a parallel street farther to the right soon reached our 
old })ris()n quarters. 

Old colored men and women came often to the iron fence 
enclosing our (juarters. bringing, in small quantities, shrimps 
and crabs, which they ottered to sell at a reas(mable price. 
Those who had money ))urchased, and thereby occasionally 
enjoyed a good meal. Not one in fifty of us, however, had 
at this time a cent in his pocket, and no credit >vas obtain- 
al)le. so wc subsisted almost entirely u})on the meager rations 
allowed of i'orn meal, rice and rancid bacon. 

On October 5th we were taken, in the usual way. to 
Columbia. I was weakened by illness and- was without food 
from the time of leaving Charleston until the next da\', when 
taken from the cars in a cold rain. The surgeon in charge, 
after much entreaty, caused m\ removal with six other 
officers, also ill, to a hospital in the old Presbyterian college 
buildings in Columbia, which was used foi' the Confederate 
sick and wounded. Placed in a single room, and gcnerall}- 



22 

not suffering from any acute disease, we were not eonfined 
to our beds. The suriicoii in eliariic daily visited us and was 
attentive to otu' iiee(ls. 

One of our lunnWer. a Tennessee captain, had the ^'cHow 
fever, contracted liefore he left Charhston. A\'e did all for 
him we could: Imt ihuini:' the few days he continually urew 
worse. Me was an old })risoner and Kinncd for iiis home 
and friend> in Kast 'l'ennesse(>. w hei'c he had suffci-ed nmch 
at the hands of the Kehels. I was at his side durino- the last 
sta<ie Avhen the Mack \onnt aj)peai"e(l liy wjiich it was 
known he had l)ut a few hours at most to live. Rational to 
the last, he soon hecanii' exhausted and convulsi\-cly threw 
himself across his cot. and there, surrounded In his few 
heli)less conii)anions. his spirit passed beyond all earthly 
prison doors. The saffron-colored cor})se was soon removed 
and I)uried by the hospital authorities. 

After a few weeks* treatment at this h()s|)ital. and Ix'ino- 
grreatly im})ro\-ed in strenath, in Xovem))er, 18<!4, 1 was 
taken across the Saluda river, about two miles from the city, 
to an abandoned tield which had been t-overed w ilh second- 
tjrowth i)ines. This i)rison })en the prisoners named "Camp 
Sorghum.'' by which it is generally known. Nearly all the 
officers in various })risons had been brinight here, and the 
nund)er exceeded 1.400. 

About ff\(' acres of land were surrounded by a deaddine, 
and outside of this there was a "rin<.>' *iuard." No shelter 
was furnished, and the prisoners had to burrow in the earth 
and construct coNcrings from Ijranchcs and twigs, or use for 
a tent the blankets needed for bodily coverino- duringf the 
winter nights. On arriving at this camp. Lieut. Munro B. 
Pulliam. of the 11th Kentucky Cavalry, and myself, pre- 
pared a lodging place by digging in the ground a cellardike 
s])ace of sufficient dimensions, and by the us(> of small poles 



23 

we gathered, made a frame overstrueture and then covered 
it with pine twigs. It was protection from the winter winds, 
hut did not keep out the rain. Priscmers who had money 
eouhl huy sweet liotatoes and other articles. The daily 
rations consisted of corn meal and rice, and occasionally 
soi-o-hum. about riflcen ounces in all j)er man. 

Many made their escape hy taking advantage of the i)riv- 
ilege of going out under guard to fetch wood from an adjoin- 
ing forest. A few ran hy the guard at night, and started for 
our distant lines. Most of those who eM-aix'd were recap- 
tured. Several alarms took place, and on these occasions 
the guard, ])eing of the undisciplined State militia, would 
tire into and across the camj). Jt was a common thing to 
hear shots at night, and the halls would whistle through the 
camp, (h)ing little injury, as every one slept behind embank- 
ments of earth thrown up around his hut. Occasionally, 
however, in this as in all the other prisons, deliberate nuu-- 
ders wei-e perpetrated I)y the guards. On the tirst day of 
December Lieut. Turl)ane, of the COth N. Y. Infantry, was 
inhumanly killed by a sentinel who. without warrant or ex- 
cuse, shot him in the back as he was walking (piietly near his 
(juarters. October 22d Lieut. Young, of the 4th Pennsyl- 
vania Cavalry, was deliberately shot by a sentinel while he 
Avas seated in his chair in the evening. He lived l)ut a few 
moments, after speaking a few Avords to his companions. 

This isolated field prison was a little world of itself. 
The prisoners were mostly of the better class of Northern 
society, l)ut freed so long fr(»m conventional restraints, their 
daily lives revealed natural dis})ositions and disclosed 
real characters. The shiftless and the heedful, the untidy 
and the neat, the vulgar and the retined, the profane 
and the devout — were all represented here, as in the outside 
world. Obedient to the unswerving logic of human nature, 



24 

tlic forces wliicli ijrodiirc the prolctaii'c Miid the i);itric'ian 
were here displayed notwilli.standina' the depressive eoiidi- 
tioiis. Like the rirst setth'is of a western toAVii, and for the 
same reasons, the older prisoners, llioiiiih the most raoyed, 
d(Muanded superior reeoiinition. and were the aristocrats of 
the colony. 

l)ecend)cr 11th we were notitied of another rcmoxal. 
Forlorn and wretclu'd. many of us harefoot. we were 
inarched throuiih the >tr('cls of Columbia, suhjected to 
taunting" remarks from children and citizens alona^ the way. 
^^'e were [)laced in the eastern ])ortion of the Jnsane Asylum 
ii'rounds, two acres in extent, w hich had heen enclosed from 
the other ))ortion containini:' llu- asylum in that city. Strict ly 
ii'uarded from sentinel boxes uixm a liiiih fence, we auain 
set u|) housckcepini:'. Some lumber was furnished, so thai 
after awhile about one half of the otiicers built for ihcm- 
sehes (piarters. others making; low tents from blankets. My 
tent consisted of ii sin,<>"le blanket stretched over a horizontal 
l)ole about three feet hiofh, with the edges of the l)lanket on 
each side fastened to the <iround. in which, near the [)rison 
entrance, I slept and was protected from the rain. 

Rev. Dr. Palmer, the celebrated Presbyterian divine, who 
taught before the war that it was the duty of the Southern 
people to conserve the institution of sla\('ry. even by seces- 
sion and arms, ])reaclied to us two able sermons. At the 
close of his last discourse u))on Providence in battles, he 
gave out that impressive hynm of Cowper, connneneing: 

(Jod moves in a mysterious way 

His wonders to perform; 
He plants Ilis footsteps on tlie sen 

And rides upon the storm. 

This hvnni was sung with the deeix'st feelini>' 1)\' his audi- 
ence of destitute pi'isoners. whose faith in the tinal trium))h 



25 

of the orovernnicnt and its perpetuity under God's watchful 
care had nev(>r wavered. The opinions of this h^arncd and 
sincere man were afterwards radically ehancred. 

In a tent near the one I ()cen])ie(l. Lieut. S. H. M. layers, 
of the ,5th Iowa Infantry, composed that connnemorative 
song, "Sherman's March to the Sea." and it was sung in this 
prison l)ef(n-e it was heard of outside. A tine glee clul) often 
cheered the, })lace with this and other patriotic songs. 

The prisoners sutfered nuicli from insuthcient food and 
from want of fuel to cook with and keep warm. They were 
each allowed a i)iece of wood, about the size of an ordinary 
stick of stove wood, daily. 'I'hosc who had money could 
])urchase food. If gold or greenbacks were sent by Northern 
friends, after nnich delay, their eijuivalent in Confederate 
money, as reckoned by the authorities, would l)e received. 
Later on. money could be obtained ))y giving gohl drafts on 
Northern friends living in the East, at the rate of a dollar in 
o-old for eio'ht dollars in Confederate money; at the same 
time one dollar in gold was worth tifty dollars in Confederate 
notes. The drafts of Western prisoners, who had no rela- 
tives or friends East, would not be accepted. 1 made a draft 
o\\ my father, in Cayuga County, N. Y.. for tifty dollars in 
gold. Several days after the draft had been sent, a blue slij) 
of pai)er, still preserved, was received, upon which was 
writt(;n, ''Good for $81)5).!»!»"— of course, in Confederate 
monev. On its [)resentation to a camp sutler, i)rovisions 
could be drawn and the amount endorsed thereon. I used it 
tifteen d:iys, and drew $222.^25 worth of meat and sweet 
])otat()es. A piece of poor fresh beef, the si/e of a man's 
hand, ranged in })ricc fron) sj^l-f to if^lT. .■)(). 

February 14th, tSO:), Gen. Sherman had entered South 
Carolina and Avas nnirching towards Columbia, and his 
cannonadiuii" was heaid near the city. After a hasty sum- 



26 

mons to ])i'('[)an' tor MMotlicr move the prisoners were hur- 
riedly innrelied llirouiili :i misty rain and auaiii erowded in 
freight ears, and ai)out dark the train stai'ted northward. 
We had taken our hhnd-cets and trinkets, hut the removal 
was so sudden that only a few were furnished with provi- 
sions. Thei'e were ahout forty in the ear I was in. 

After leaviiiii' the city we considered the ])ossil)ility of 
eseape. (iuards were placed, as usual, two on the inside at 
the only ojjen dooi-, and two or three on the top of the car. 
It was decided to cut a hole in the Itottom of the ear. 
Several of the prisom^rs had a few useful tools, and amoni:' 
them was a small saw which had heen made from an ordinary 
ease knif<'. and had heen used in prison in sawing ])()ne and 
Avood to fashion articles to present to friends when released. 
After a small hole had been cut thi'ouoh the floor of the car 
with a knife, this saw was inserted and a piece ahout twenty 
inches stpiare sawed out. When the hole was finished the 
boards were re])laced to await the stoijpage of tlu' train, 
wlien ;dl who could were to ])ass through the hole, ^^dlile 
the sawing AAas being done officers stood U}) and sang "'Sher- 
man's March to the Sea." and some engaged in conversation 
with the inside guards. In this way the attention of the 
guards was diverted, and they did not discover what was 
going on. 

The train st()i)ped at A\'iimsborough, S. C, thirty-four 
miles north of C'olumbia, and after waiting until the whistle 
bknv signalling that it Avas s(»()n to start, about half a dozen 
in turn, myself among the munber, slipped through the hole 
and remained under the ear until the train started, for if we 
came out while it was standing there was danger of our 
l)eing seen. Several guards in charge of the train })assed 
alongside and uneomfortably near us while we lay erouching 
beneath the car. As soon as the train commenced to move 



27 

Ave crawled out betAveen the trucks and lay doAvn just outside 
of the rail, so as not to ))e seen l)y the guards on the top of 
the car. When the train had [)asse(l we arose. The sfuards 
discovered us, and iir(Kl at us and others who had escaped 
from some of the other ears. Luckily, no one was hiu't, and 
about a dozen escaped. Our exit through the bottom of the 
car Avas so difficult and hurried, no one being ])erniitted to 
speak, that 1 h)st my hat, which had 1)een made from a piece 
of old cloth; also, an oiU-loth sack which eontaincd my 
letters, diary, an address delivered in Libby Prison and 
many articles manufactured from l>one and wood of inesti- 
mable value to me. It Avas ten o'clock and we sej^arated, no 
more than tAvo going together. Myself and a Ncav York 
officer silently Avalked across a held in a westerly direction 
until Ave came to the road leading to Columl)ia. 

It Avas a bleak, stormy night; sleet and ice covered the 
fences and roads, Avounding the bare feet. Cautiously pass- 
ing along the way Ave came to a stream, deep and cold, 
Avhich had to be forded. We traveled all that night, and 
toAvards morning a blustering snow storm came on. At 
daylight, fatigued and hungry, Ave sought shelter in an old 
abandoned house Avhich stood Ijeside the road, and Avas Avith- 
out a floor and had no foundation, except at its corners. It 
had numerous openings, through Avhich the cold north Avind 
blew the snow against oiu- shivering forms as Ave lay doAvn to 
rest. While aa^c lay here two Confederate trcjopers Avent by, 
evidently looking for escaped prisoners. 

Remaining in this building until the middle of the after- 
noon, Ave determined to cross the road and take to the Avoods. 
In crossing, Ave espied a house and an elderly man at a dis- 
tance. Leaving the road Ave Avere soon in the Avoods, Avhich 
Avere full of sAwnmps. Wending our way soutliAvard as })est 
Ave could, treading the fallen trees and wading in water until 



28 

iiiii'lil. we found ourschcs near a railroad \\(K)d station, which 
Avas ill charffc of sonic iici:rocs. ^\'c wci'c hiiiiury and went 
to ihcir solitary cahin in rear of the wood supply just as 
they were ready for supjicr. Wv told tlicin wlio we wire 
and w hat we wanted. They spoke in w liis|)ers. and w illinnly 
i2a\'e us their only loaf of corn hread. fi'esii from the skillet. 
Lea\ ini;- them with many thanks, we returned to the woods 
and ate a <:rat<'ful meal, after which we traNclcd alonjj;- the 
railroad track a ivw miles and selected a ))lace for a nii>ht"s 
rest under a tree. Soon. se\('ral t rains passi'd to the north, 
and from our concealment could he seen in tin' lighted cars 
well-dressed women and children and household uoods. which 
con\ inced us that families wci'e Heeiuii- fi'oiii Columhia and 
that Sherman's army w as near. 

Karly the next morning heavy cannonading was heard to 
the southwest, and in that direction we jouriie\-ed all day in 
one unending swam]), tilled with shallow water, trunks of 
trees, and small islands of morass. Among these we picked 
our way guided li\ the welcome sound of Sherman's artillery 
heyond the rixcr. The harking of dogs was heard at the 
settlements, which skirted the woods, hut no human heing 
had been sec^n. Before the sun descended hehind the western 
trees, we came to the main I'oad running north of Columhia 
at a |)oint with woods on hoth sides. \'eiiluring to ci'oss the 
road, the otHcer who had heeii my only com])anion since 
esca])ing from the cars, reached the opposite side as I was in 
the middle of the road, when suddenly a Confederate trooper 
came dashing toward us. I told my companion to escajie 
and that my ca|)ture would saxc him. lie <lid so; and I 
ne\er heard of him afterwards, allhough I |)resume he 
i-eached our lines. " Surrender." was demanded with the 
flourish of a pistol and in iniperati\(' tones and \ ioleiit lan- 
ii'uaii'o. and heinii' clothed in raa'ged hlue, with m\' head and 



29 ■ 

feet l)Mre, 1 submitted to the inevitai)le. My enptor had all 
the calico and Confederate nnifornis he coidd carry on th(^ 
back of his horse, and in like niainier other troopers, who 
were uuardino- quartermaster slores in ad\:mce of their 
retreatiuii' army, appeared, ("ohnnbia had been evacuated, 
and every Southern sohlier liad carried away wliat lie could. 
One of my captors j)ro\-e( I to be a Kentuckian and a brother 
of Chief Justice l)u\all of that state, lie irave me a suit of 
Confederate gray, with a caj) and a ])air of shoes. All that 
nisht 1 was miarded and leai-ned nnich of (ien. Shermairs 
advance. The next day I was taken ah)no- with the Rebel 
army, a large cavalry force retreating and somewhat dis- 
organized. Tlie rafions issued to the Southern soldiers in 
the tield here, were about tlie same in (luality as those issued 
to tlie prisoners with whom I had Ix'cn; but the Southci-n 
soldier was accustomed to a diet of corn meal and bacon and 
could sui)plement his rations by contributions from a friendly 
])eo])le among whom he served. The second night I was 
guarded a fcAV rods in the rear of Gen. Wheeler's headquar- 
ters, with several prisoners recently captured from Sherman's 
army and a few otKcers who, like myself, had escaped upon 
removal from Cohunbia and had been reca])tured. Among 
the latter was Lieut. H. Bader, of the 21)th Missouri Infantry. 
The Confederate soldiers in the tield were always ready to 
talk or trade with a cai)tive, and this knot of prisoners was 
beset by their captors, wdio wished for pins and knives and 
nuuiy other things which they could not easily ()I)tain in the 
Confederacy, and wlio came to the guards and talked with the 
})risoners. Lieut. F)ader and mj'self, l)eing dressed in full 
Rebel uniform, resolved upon another escape. While many 
cavalrymen around the place wliere we were guarded N\'(n-e 
caring for their horses and getting their suppers, we l)oldly 
passed the guard, and each of us seized a saddle, in imitation 



30 

of many a1)0nl us, and walked lln'ou<>li the 1I(>1)('1 camp. 
A\'lK'n we reached its limit, we put down the saddles and were 
soon safe in a liiick underbrush, a few miles north of Col- 
umbia. Thai night ('olumbia was burned. Its fires lit up 
the skies, and the tall trees cast tlu^ir shadows across our 
silent pathway as we walked in the still forests between the 
I'ontendino- armies, now hushed in nio^ht's repose; and over 
friend and foe the lioht of that burning city, where recently 
I had l)een imprisoned, glared in mockery of treason's earliest 
crimes. 

That night we entered a ftu-m house as Confederate sol- 
diers, and were given a late supper by the mistress, who 
was attended ))y her slaves, but no white men were seen. 
Our hostess had l)een informed by retreating Confederates 
that afternoon that tlu^ Yankees would be along the next 
day, and she confided to us the wdiereabouts of her secreted 
stores, which were not afterwards revealed. 

After we had finished our meal, which was plain and even 
homely, ])ut Avhich is remembered as having been eaten with 
great satisfaction, we went into an adjoining tield, and be- 
neath a hawthorne slept a peaceful sleep. Early the next 
morning, as tlu; sun ushered in a bright tlay, our hearts were 
gladdened by hearing the reveille of Sherman's army to the 
southward, and we concealed ourselves near a road, believing 
our soldiers would soon come. Bef<n"e noon the detailed for- 
agers of the advance division of our army, came along with 
their rattling sabers, makinir music such as I had not heard 
for a long time. AVe were concealed in a thicket by the 
roadside, and made our appearance as soon as we were cer- 
tain of the identity of the approaching force. It was after 
much scrutiny, however, that they were convinced we were 
not rebels, as they presented their loaded carbines at us and 
demanded our surrender when we emerged from the bushes. 



31 

Of course we were given hearty welcome and congratulation 
as soon as our identity was established. 

Tliat evening we arrived at (Ion. Sherman's headquarters 
and were again warm!}' greeted. W r accompanied the army 
to Fayetteville, N. C, where 1 took the first returning 
steamer to Wilmington, and from thence, by the wny of 
Beaufort, N.C., and New York City, I went to Annapolis. Md., 
where a leave of a))sence was granted. Afterwards I re- 
turned to my regiment at Nashville, Tenn., and was mustered 
out of the service the following July, the war being ended. 

The transportation train l)elonging to the regiment, to 
save which a long and stubborn resistance had l)een made in 
vain, Avas captured at the time I was made a prisoner, and all 
my papers and personal effects, consisting of the usual 
furnishings of a line officer in the field, fell into the hands of 
the enemy. Among other articles which I valued was an 
album containing pictures of friends and relatives — pictures 
highly prized, and always fondly gazed upon (as for the last 
time) before going into battle. On the fly-leaf of this album 
I had taken the precaution to write a request that if it should 
fall into the hands of friend or enemy it might be sent to my 
father, whose address was given. Several months after Lee's 
surrender, and more than two years after its loss, it was 
gratefully received by express at home in the same condition 
as when captured, having been kindly forwarded by Rev. R. 
F. Bunting, chaplain of Terry's Texas Rangers, who wi'ote 
that it had been captured Septeml)er 21st, lS6i\, near Pond 
Springs, Ga., by Jesse A. Kirkland, private Company "E," 
Terry's Texas Rangers, Sth Texas Cavalry. 

From a military standpoint the policy of the government 
of non-exchange of prisoners was right. It was less costly 
to feed a Rebel than to let him return and fight. Assuming 
that the soldiers on both sides were equall}' efficient in battle, 



^2 

the Noi'tli had to coiuliict military operations in unfrionctly 
States and miard a loni^- line of su|)])Ues, and every step 
advanced r("(|iiirc(| many men to pi'otect the I'ear, which the 
South, in the main, did not iia\('to(h). Hence, to ])reser\'e 
that e(|nality in the lield. superior nund)ers were recpiired on 
the part of the North, and every captive ii'ave a ])roi)oi't ionate 
a(lvanta<>;e. so that tiie tliousaiids of Northern sohhers in 
Southern prisons (hn'inu' the period of their ca])ti\ity \ver(! 
not inactive, and really held an army at hay; hut at the same 
time the otticei's were deprived of promotion and all were 
compelled to undcrii'o imexampled })rivati()ns. 

Prison life at ten diti'erent i)laces in the South, coverin<i' 
the oreater |)art of tlie controlling' period of the war, 
ahounde*! in many incidents not easily to he forgotten. 
Our misoui(U'd enemies. ()V(>rmastered l)y evil lessons and 
false theories, were at times hateful and severe; hut the 
hardships and trials, wherever endured in our civil war, 
were not aindc^ss or futile. I»nt made possihie and enduring; 
a government \\hose permanence and unit}' the conflict 
secured. 

These recollections, and many more which cannot here l)e 
related, flit across my memory like shadow}^ pictures, whose 
dark shadesare lit up hy theretlt^ction that by such and greater 
sacrifices this nation was restored to a higher and grander 
life. Companions whose fortitude and heroism sustained 
them in many distressful hours, camiot now he mentione(l. 
Most of them have gone to untimely hut hallowed graves; 
those who remain carry ahout them the sure e\idence of 
their ])atri()tic sutfei'ings, and they are content with that 
reward which is found in the consciousness of having served 
their country in the hour of its greatest need. 

No lapse of time can remove from the pages of history 
the painful proofs of the infamy which the brief Confederate 



33 

rule fastened upon itself, by permitting the cruelest and most 
inexcusable wrongs to be inflicted upon defenseless prisoners. 
I know of no valid apology for the innumerable inhumani- 
ties that were perpetrated in many Southern prisons during 
the war, and yet it could hardly be otherwise than that an 
unrighteous cause, in the unholy endeavor to establish a 
government whose chief corner-stone was human slavery, 
would call to its aid every possible form of desperate power. 
Twenty -five years have passed since the memorable events 
of the war, and with the greatest charity let us remember 
not alwa3^s these things; but rather let us glory in a restored 
flag that proudly waves over increasing States, the symbol 
of freedom and progress, and may it through all the years to 
come, shelter and protect a peaceful and united people. 

St. Paul, Minn., Nov., 1890. 



R."l S9 



*?«^' 



• 



:i<s 



Vv'i^^ 



.^^V 



I.IBRftRY OF CONGRESS 




013 786 653 5 



^ 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



013 786 653 5 f> 



